Senior Cricket Round-Up - July 2024
A mixed bag of a July sees the 1st XI sitting 5th in the GMCL Championship as we reach the business end of the season.
Things started brightly in July, with Friarmere easily dispatched at the Sapphire Accounting MCG. Spin Twins Brightmore and Fitton both helped themselves to 4 wickets each as Friarmere were knocked over for just 89. In response, 29* from Andy Metcalfe and a breezy 31 from Liam Tongue saw us home 2 down. Sunday’s intended double header fixture at Friarmere saw everyone standing round looking at grass and rain mostly before it was eventually abandoned.
A week later and a trip to Glodwick saw the 1s toil hard but fall short. Despite a 5fer for Pro Taz and 3fer for Michael Scott, Glodwick crept themselves to 176. A 40 off 81 from Andrew Metcalfe the only notable score as the 1s were out for 84.
Game 3 of July saw league leaders Stand take home the points at the MCG.
Game 4 though saw the 1s come roaring back into form, spearheaded magnificently by Pro Tafadzwa. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Heywood looked like they were going to take full advantage as they reached 124 for 0, with Ryan Fitton eventually breaking the partnership. 2 wickets for Daniel Brightmore slowed some of the Heywood charge, but they still set a strong looking 259 from their 50 overs.
Mottram’s openers Andrew Metcalfe and Alex Birch took us to 55 before Metty departed. Birchy fought hard for a well-built 47 before he was caught. At 90 for 3, there was a foundation to work with, but it needed Tafadzwa to score big and also time his charge to perfection. With support from Stefan Fielding and Ryan Fitton, he did just that. Careful accumulation in the 30s, 40s and 50s turned into a brutal dismantling of Heywood’s bowling attack as he went from 70 to 100 to 128* in the blink of an eye. The game ended in the 48th over with Taz going 6, 6, 4 to bring it home in style.
The 2nd XI came into July with a tough run of fixtures against 1st XI teams, and 6th July saw an away defeat to Ashton Ladysmith. Despite Michael Scott’s 6fer and a tidy 3 for 34 from William Davis, Ladysmith went hard at the ball throughout their innings to hit 156.
Liam Wright’s defiant 52 from 61 kept the Mottram innings going but with only Ayrton Fielding (17 from 49) sticking round for any real length of time, it was 113 at the end of Mottram’s innings.
From there though, July took a positive turn. Paul Graeme Marks (4 for 29) made light work of Glodwick’s middle order to leave them 84 all out. Mottram marched past that total in 14 overs, courtesy of Luke Gray’s 26, a breezy Jordan Irons 24 and Matt Fazackerley pulling his way to 20* off 12.
Seven days later, a nervy 9 run victory away at Woodhouses made it two wins on the spin. Batting first Mottram set 120, with Jordan Iron’s 48 and Michael Beech’s 35 spearheading our batting efforts. Early wickets from Bailey Russell and William Davis left Woodhouses 23 for 2, before a mini-recovery saw them needing 40 to win with 5 wickets in the shed.
Enter Alice Dyson, her 4 for 21 from 12 overs not only bagged vital wickets but also slowed scoring down to a near standstill. Woodhouses all out on Nelson, 111.
A trip then to Woodley for the final game of the month and a chance to win 3 on the spin. At 10 for 2 with Luke Gray and Michael Beech sat on the sad bench, things looked to be rather in the balance. Jordan Irons had other ideas. After an over or two of assessing things, Irons decided to launch an all-out assault on neighbouring greenhouses, roof tiles and 4 grazing horses who soon shifted deeper into the adjoining field.
Across 89 balls he scored 185 electrifying runs, displaying the full range of expansive Cover Drives for 6, Straight Drives into Bredbury and the odd old-fashioned smash over cow for good measure.
A pleasure to watch, I can do no more than offer you the raw numbers. 185 runs, 19 x 4s and 15 x 6s. A strike rate of 207.
Ayrton Fielding’s supporting 56 and Phill Rowston’s fairly quick-fire 47* remain mere footnotes to what is currently being mooted as the highest individual Mottram CC senior score. Some going.
Woodley CC had 343 to chase. Harry Moore (5 for 37) ensured they did not. 6th in Div 4E it is then for the 2s.
The 3rd XI end July in 2nd in Sunday Div 2E, behind Thornham only on net run rate in the race for Promotion.
Long-earmarked as a crucial month because of the two Ashton fixtures, the 3s came into July full of momentum having comfortably beaten Failsworth Macedonia in the last hours of June.
Game 1 of July was Ashton at Rayner Lane, a battle between 2nd and 3rd. Ashton won the toss and elected to field. With a calm batting performance of the essence, Michael Beech played the perfect role as the patient, prodding opener. Nurdling his way to 52 off 103, setting a beautiful platform for others to tee off. Adam Fitton was doing exactly that before Michael barbecued him with a run-out. That brought Skipper Sam Smith to the crease though and his dominant 58 off 46 ensured we got to 200 exactly and applied serious scoreboard pressure.
That pressure told as the opener smashed the first ball straight into the gleeful hands of Dan C at cover. 0 for 1 off 1. It never really improved for Ashton from that point as Mathew Harrop’s 7 for 20 decimated their chasing attempt. 50 AO.
A week later it was Heyside’s turn to face Harrop and his dangerous off-spin. They too had no answers as his 4 for 20 and James S’s 3 for 1 saw them skittled for 33. Win secured with 10 wickets in hand.
That left Ashton at home to close out July. Ashton won the toss and elected to bat. Could they pile up a big score and create scoreboard pressure? No.
A sharp snaffle from Mark Hannon left them 1 for 1. From there wickets fell at regular intervals with a partnership of 30 that took them to 43 for 5 the only real resistance encountered. 6fer for Matthew Harrop and Ashton 77AO.
In response, Michael Beech heading a bouncer over the bar was the only real drama. Mathew Harrop (42*) and Adam Fitton (24*) getting us over the line in 11 overs.
Next week? A trip to leaders Thornham.
The 4th XI started July by finding themselves on the wrong end of a 1 wicket loss, that out of nowhere became a real thriller.
Chris Green-Buckley’s composed 46 helped Mottram set 130 at the MCG. In response, Tintwistle found themselves 80 for 0 with their serene progress interrupted by Mitchell Wood castling an opener for 18.
A further 27 from the #3 though and Tintwistle were almost home and dry. Calm heads however deserted the middle order as Anish L and Jude S’s probing spin partnership began to ask questions. Wickets suddenly fell with increasing regularity and the small target began to look miles away. 3 wickets apiece and Tinsle 9 down, a large LBW appeal was turned down and a ball later, the single came. So close.
Whilst that Sunday was almost defined by a collapse, the game a week later was settled by one dominant partnership in the Stalybridge middle order. Jack B and Clifford Don opening up has them rocking at 28 for 5, before a partnership of 95 took Stalybridge up to a defendable total. Another Jude 2fer eventually broke that middle order recovery but Stalybridge still reached 129.
In response, Ben D was the stand-out performer, scoring 35 from 46 balls. He was ably assisted by Jude S at #4 whose got a quick 17.
80 All Out the eventual finishing position.
To complete the trilogy of July games was a mosy down to Old Glossop. The hosts won the toss and stuck themselves in.
It looked a pretty solid decision when the openers put on 91, their fun only stopped when Charlie G trapped one of them LBW for 32.
He repeated the trick with the #3 as well to turn 91 for 0 into 98 for 2. A 50* from their #4 meant the scoreboarding was always ticking along for Old Glossop but the 4s battled hard and Anish L, David Burns and Jack H all chipped in with wickets.
Young Charlie G returned to remove the tail and end up with a well-earned 4 for 33.
Old Glossop set 191 from their 35.
Skipper Burns raced out of the blocks but was adjudged LBW on 16. That brought Ben D to the crease, who alongside Mitchell Wood put together a beautiful 117 partnership that looked for so long like it was going to take the 4s to their first league win.
Mitchell promoted up the order was the prodder and nurdler with the bat for the most part, his 49 from 100 balls a vital mainstay of the innings. At other end, Ben got to 46 in a touch quicker fashion, his 46 taking 63 balls before he was trapped infront.
The end of the partnership could have spelled an end to our chances in the game, but Dan D knew what job was needed and went at better than a run a ball from the get go. His 24* from 22 seeing us come close, but ultimately fall 11 short.
Alongside their march to the Cup Finale, The Women’s Team have also been in fine form in the league where they currently sit 4th.
July’s first visitors were Offerton who won the toss and put Mottram in on a tricky deck. A breezy 12 off 9 from Aimee Cardwell and a powerful 19 off 17 from Annie Bate set the tone as Mottram set 112.
In response, Offerton reached 87 from their 16 overs with Diane Fildes and Joanne Fox both bowling economically to restrict their scoring.
It was soon two league wins on the spin, with a 10 run victory over Charlesworth secured just 4 days later. The loss of only 1 wicket was vital as Mottram set 68 from their 16 overs. In response, Charlesworth scored well but Sharon Norris (2 for 16), Imogen and Diane (1 apiece) chipped away and ensured Charlesworth fell short.
The Over 40’s had a strong month, with the headline of course being their masterful defeat of the Chairman’s XI. With the Chairman’s much vaunted batting line-up failing him, it was left to Nigel Corless, Rob Webb and Farrell Kilbane to chase down their total with relative ease. The champagne moment? Got to be James S being Caught and Bowled by Alan, naturally.
A comprehensive away win was delivered at Bredbury St. Marks too, as the Over 40’s head into their final fixture this season on 6th August, in red-hot form.
